


The Space Between Darkness & Light

by ReyloInMyMind



Series: Balance [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, The Last Jedi
Genre: A Lot of Plot, Conflict, F/M, Falling In Love, ForceBond, Frenemies, Love, Plot, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Prison, Rey and Kylo working together, Reylo - Freeform, Romance, The First Order, aktion, paintrain, slowburn, trap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 13:58:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 18,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13572015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReyloInMyMind/pseuds/ReyloInMyMind
Summary: "Hello, Scavenger." He sneered."Ben..." Rey uttered, but she never got to finish the sentence, as he stopped her with the darkest, most deadly glare she had ever seen."Don't you dare call me that." His voice left no space for arguments."What happened to you?" Rey didn't understand. Wasn't she a prisoner of the First Order? Kylo Ren should be their Supreme Leader by now.He didn't reply, didn't blink. Their connection was flooded with his dark anger.She discovered the heavy chains around his wrists. He was just as much of a prisoner as her. Injured and unable to move even an inch.-Reylo Fanfiction. SPOILERS for The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.There will be romance and action.I have taken some creative liberties: mainly the planet Amania and the Amaniastone is 100% of my imagination.Please enjoy!





	1. Chapter 1

Rey felt him.

Even before she was fully awake.

His power and aggression bubbling like lava. Full of bloodlust. 

Kylo Ren - He was near.

She hardly noticed the rough stone floor or the cold, moist air around her. Automatically she reached out for her lightsaber through the Force, calling it to her hand in an attempt to defend herself, but it wasn't there. She felt nothing but cold stone, the transparasteel walls and the anger of Kylo Ren.

Rey’s eyes opened as she tried to move off the ground.

She stopped mid-motion, grunting in pain, only to fall back down on the floor. Her head hurt, and so did her shoulder.

Her last memory was of a sea of stormtroopers, followed by something hitting her hard from behind, causing her to fall to the ground and drop her lightsaber.

Rey tried feeling around her shoulder. It was burning hot.

She was in no condition to fight him head-on. Her heart beat loudly in her ears as she searched the darkness surrounding her. He was furious, probably because of everything that happened the last time they saw each other - the Battle of Crait. If he really wanted to kill her, she didn't intend to go down easy.

"Where are you?" She demanded.

Then she finally noticed the shadow on the prison wall.

He was sitting but somehow seemed even bigger than normal. His eyes reflected the dim light of a single lamp, hanging to the right.

Rey slowly raised her upper body from the floor. Staring, in disbelief.

Kylo’s hair and half his face were smothered in dried blood.

Stripped of the countless layers of clothing he normally wore, there were only his trousers, his boots, and a mostly ripped-apart undershirt left, revealing countless bruises, burns, and cuts. No one had bothered treating any of his wounds.

"Hello, Scavenger." He sneered.

"Ben..." Rey uttered, but she never got to finish the sentence, as he stopped her with the darkest, most deadly glare she had ever seen. 

"Don't you dare call me that." His voice left no space for arguments.

"What happened to you?" Rey didn't understand. Wasn't she a prisoner of the First Order? Kylo Ren should be their Supreme Leader by now.

Kylo didn't reply, didn't blink. Their connection was flooded with his dark anger.

She discovered the heavy chains around his wrists. He was just as much of a prisoner as her. Injured and unable to move even an inch.

A flash. A memory of their hands reaching out across the galaxy, touching for barely a second.

Them, together, fighting side by side.

Rey heard his words, as a distant echo in her mind: "we can rule together!"

After the Battle of Crait, she had learned to shut him out of her consciousness. But the memories, his face and his words, would not let go of her.

"What is going on?" She asked, trying not to feel sorry for him.

Suddenly it occurred to her, that it might hurt him to talk. She hesitated for a second, then dropped her mental shield, reaching out to him through their bond.

"Get out of my head. Scavenger." Kylo growled.

 _What happened to you_? She asked silently, ignoring his demand. He was far too weak to throw her out.

Lacking other ammunition, he tossed his memories and emotions at her like energy bolts. Violent rage, bloodthirst, and pain. She saw an insane fight. His red lightsaber flashing wildly around him. Blaster shots and injection projectiles raining down on him. The First Order had turned against him. Attacking him with full force and - correctly - blamed him for the murder of the Supreme Leader.

Frustration and anger from his own weakness, topped with the bitter taste of betrayal.

 _You are not weak_ _,_ she said, in an attempt to comfort him.

His eyes grew darker. Piercing her with contempt.

They needed to work together like they had fighting Snoke’s guards.

 _Are you crazy? Don't you feel the power of this place?_ Kylo was reading her mind.

Yes, she felt it. A dark energy emitting from the floor. As if the wet stone was absorbing her strength with every attempt to use the Force. It was just as aggressive and violent as the darkness emitting from Kylo.

 _What are you doing?_ He asked when she struggled to cross her legs and sit straight in the meditation position.

 _Shss_ _..._ was her only answer, as she reached out to the Force.

Rey felt his disgust, _Skywalker's favorite fighting style_ he mocked, but she ignored him.

Disregarding the constant throbbing in her head, she reached out.

As she did, she immediately felt how the pull at her mental connection to the Force intensified.

She let her senses explore their prison. The stone. The transparasteel surrounding them. The insects living around them in the cell.

Kylo...

The dark energy was practically bleeding his mental power down through the floor. In comparison, the pull she felt from the floor was that of an impatient child. This was not a prison meant for her. Someone had gone to great lengths to make sure that Kylo Ren wouldn't escape.

It made sense.

Rey knew better than anyone just how powerful Kylo Ren really was.

Seeing him so tied down and beaten, made her chest grow tighter. She wanted to help him, to ease the pain, and she let her power flow in his direction.

-

Kylo gasped. He had been hit by an incredible force that drowned his senses and emptyed his mind.

Rey collapsed on the stone floor and he lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

 

"To think the great Kylo Ren would be sleeping so peacefully" The voice was radiating the arrogance of victory.

Kylo instantly recognized General Hux.

His body felt different, somehow empowered. Though he didn't want Hux to discover that yet. He raised his head a bit, glaring at the treacherous General.

"Have you come to pay your respects?" he sneered, itching to punch Hux in his smug face.

General Hux stood tall, flanked by six stormtroopers, confident in Kylo's apparent defeat. 

Kylo suppressed a smile. He had recovered quite a bit.

Whatever the scavenger had done had given him a lot of power and temporarily dimmed the draining pull from the stone floor.

For a second, Kylo averted his eyes from Hux, glancing at the collapsed girl.

Why had she done that?

Using so much power to heal him, when she herself needed it just as badly.

She was the one to break their connection, the one to shut him out and still...

Hux followed his eyes and smirked.

"It was pure luck that we found the little Jedi roaming around some planet at the outer rim. Now she can share your fate."

"Like I care," Kylo replied.

"Apparently you do," Hux took a step forward and placed a fist on the transparasteel, "Supreme Leader Kylo Ren" His voice was dripping with poison.

Kylo growled, sending Hux a deadly glare. Hux was too strong-minded for Kylo to just bend his will, but the stormtroopers were a different matter.

"Why are you here?" Kylo asked, concentrating on the power within him.

The smug smile on the redhead's face grew an inch wider. "To tell you about your execution."

"Boring," Kylo sneered.

"You will be s..." Hux halted, turning his head to stare at the stormtrooper pointing a blaster at his head.

"You were saying?"

Hux ogled him, and Kylo enjoyed the sensation of power.

"Now open the cell," Kylo said, his voice was almost gentle, "and unchain me"

Hux didn't move; one of the stormtroopers took the keycard from a pocket in his black jacket and slid it through the scanner at the side of the cell door.

A little microphone jumped out, demanding a passcode.

"If you please, General Hux" Kylo hissed, impatiently. It was exhausting to maintain control over the stormtroopers.

"Hux!" He snapped, and at last, the General seemed to wake up.

Trying to regain his composure, he straightened his black jacket. "And if I don't?" he asked.

"I have wondered what is inside your head." The remaining stormtroopers aimed their blasters at the General as Kylo continued. "If you don't say that passcode soon, I will finally find out."

Reluctantly Hux leaned into the microphone and recited a long line of numbers and letters.

Shortly after, they heard a hollow click, and the door to the cell opened.

Kylo glanced at the scavenger. Lying lifeless on the floor, drained dry by her ridiculous actions.

A moment he considered leaving her.

He quite frankly didn't want anything to do with her. Other than maybe killing her. Perhaps that could ease the pain in his chest.

But she helped him. Without her...

A feeling started emerging in him, but he thoroughly pushed it away, burying it in hatred and anger. Reminding himself of the last time he had seen her.

Last time... the thought stuck in his mind. She rejected him.

Kylo had offered her the galaxy and she _rejected_ him. The anger burst in his heart.

A stormtrooper loosened the chains as told. The moment both hands were free, Kylo took a hold of the stormtrooper’s white helmet and smashed it into the wall behind him, leaving a bloody track down the wall. Empowered by the action he rolled his stiff shoulders and left the cell.

Hux was staring, still in control of himself, but visibly shaken.

"Carry the scavenger," Kylo commanded while tossing another stormtrooper into the open cell. He could have used the Force to choke them, but the floor was still affecting him, making it harder to concentrate his mental grip on them. Besides, his muscles were itchy after the long confinement, it felt liberating to smash every single stormtrooper in sight.

Hux made a face like he was going to touch something disgusting. Aware that Kylo would gladly choke him to death, he did not dare defy the order.

He staggered after Kylo, panting under her weight.

Kylo felt his full power returning the moment he stepped off the stone floor.

For a moment he just stood there, feeling the Dark Side of the Force flow freely through his veins once again.

There was only one thing missing.

"Where is my lightsaber?" he asked, his calm voice carrying an unmistakable threat.

"I don't know," Hux answered between heavy breaths. The girl rolled off his shoulder as Hux took to his neck, gasping for air in Kylo's Force choke.

"Where. Is. It?" Kylo asked again, slowly pronouncing every word.

Hux met Kylo's dark gaze. Kylo loosened the grip a bit, waiting for the answer, but eventually attacked his mind to find the information.

Disappointed that Hux was telling the truth, Kylo stepped back from the General, leaving him lifeless on the floor.

Multiple blaster shots started raining down from above.

Keeping the shots at bay with a Force barrier Kylo lifted the girl, cursed her for being useless, and sought cover.

-

The noise was hammering in Rey’s head. Blaster shots, crumbling walls, and voices shouting.

Her body was hurting more than she had ever hurt before. Every cell was burning. She wanted to cry out, scream at the top of her lungs, but no sound came. Paralyzed and trapped, unable to distinguish reality from dream. 


	3. Chapter 3

Kylo stood absolutely still behind the remains of a doorway, shielding him from a storm of blaster shots.

Concentrating. Reaching. Searching.

Where is it?

The girl sat like a big, boneless ragdoll against the wall beside him. He could feel the pain in her mind, yet she didn't move a muscle.

It didn't seem natural. Then again, what she had done, wasn't natural.

He felt the stormtroopers surrounding him, blocking the way out. A larger number of them than he had expected, but nothing he couldn't handle. Even without his lightsaber.

Where the hell was it!

Spreading his mind further he finally found it. A tiny bit of himself onboard a shuttle breaking the atmosphere of the planet. He felt it just as the shuttle, and his weapon, jumped into lightspeed and disappeared into space.

Roaring, he stepped out into the open, venting his anger on every unfortunate stormtrooper standing in his way.

As he went forward, he picked up a Z6 baton from a dead stormtrooper.

Swinging it, he efficiently cleared the space around him. It felt good to hold a weapon again. Though he preferred his lightsaber.

Kylo took a hit on the side. A lucky hit from an unlucky stormtrooper.

The pain only helped him focus. Channeling his hate in yet another attack.

His chest rose in heavy breaths as he stepped outside, scanning the area. There were no ships on the large plateau. They were probably moved to prevent him from escaping the planet.

Fresh out of living stormtroopers, he vented his frustration on some abandoned equipment containers.

-

Rey stood on top of an endless, peaceful ocean. There were no suns or moons or clouds, only the blue sky above and the deep ocean below. Captivated she reached down through the ocean surface, dipping her fingers in the water. Laughing at a little fish nibbling at her fingertips.

"Rey."

The voice was strangely familiar, but hollow like it came from inside a barrel. Rey stood, searching the horizon for the origin of the voice.

There was nothing. Only herself, the sky and the ocean.

Below the little fish had the company of many others. They gathered at her feet, confused by the person standing on the ocean. They all had different colors, shifting and glimmering like glass in the light. She crouched down and dipped her hand back in the water. The fish swam around her fingers and followed as she moved her hand in wide circles. When she lifted her fingers from the water, the fish broke through the surface, seemingly swimming in thin air.

"Rey!" This time it was a command. The sky grew darker in the corners of her vision.

She felt pressure on her mind, tugging at her and urging her to... to what? It was so peaceful. Everything seemed in perfect balance. What could she possibly need to do?

The fish twirled around her, apparently enjoying the new environment and then returned to the sea one by one. She wanted to call them back but got distracted by a sudden pull from beneath her.

The surface of the ocean began to tremble, causing thousands of little drops of water to dance violently. In the blink of an eye, Rey lost her footing and was enclosed by the freezing sea.

She sank, further and further into the darkness, numb from the cold and unable to prevent it.

-

Hux rubbed his head as he came to and slowly god on his feet. 

The stormtroopers were everywhere. Flooding the prison halls and making it hard to find proper footing. Hux wasn't shocked by that; it was pretty much what he had expected. What shocked him, though, was the fact that he was still alive.

He was shaken and groggy and had a few pressed ribs, but was overall okay.

Hux crossed over yet another body in white armor.

Two decades of training and discipline wasted just like that. He was tempted to just leave Ren and that filthy Jedi-rat on the planet and let the environment deal with them.

Had it been anyone else, he would have done it, but if Ren survived and got his hands on a ship, he could bring considerable damage to the First Order. It was a chance Hux wasn't willing to take, mainly because a good chunk of said damage would be directed at him.

Deprived of the Supreme Leader, the First Order had few individuals able to match Ren's physical strength and skills, and the power of the Dark Side was an intimidating factor all on its own.

Deeply wrapped in his own mind Hux headed for the command center. The communication systems were still operational. Hux tried straightening his jacket a bit and flicked the switch on the control panel, knowing that it would send a holographic projection of him.

One look at the General: the slightly messed-up hair, the dirt on his clothes and his intense frown, instantly told the Knight of Ren that something was very wrong.

"What happened?" he asked, his mask covering his facial expressions, but his voice slightly shaking.

Hux barked the details, aware that he, himself, was bearing a lot of the blame. Fortunately, the Knights of Ren were not nearly as powerful as the Supreme Leader. It was only a handful of them who possessed a single specialized Force power, and it wasn't worth comparing to the overwhelming Dark Force of Kylo Ren.

"How?" The Knight asked, enclosed in his own mind as he processed the news.

Hux had no answer, as he, himself, had silently asked that question way too many times.

"He was barely alive when I left! Fatally wounded, restrained, drugged and drained, sitting on top of an entire floor made of Amaniastone. And he subdued you by controlling _six_  stormtroopers simultaneously?"

Hux sneered at the word  _subdued;_  though he couldn't protest to its correctness in this situation. Technically General Hux outranked the Knights of Ren, with Ren himself as the only exception, but the power structure in the First Order was shifting wildly out of balance. With Ren on the loose Hux had no room for new enemies.

"I need the Knights of Ren. All of them," he said, regaining his cold demeanor, "and bring in some beasts as well."

"This time we kill him," the Knight said, stating it as a condition.

"This time we kill him," Hux agreed.

The Knight nodded slightly, and Hux ended the transmission.


	4. Chapter 4

When Rey came to, her body was feeling too much all at once. Lingering pain, nausea and a constant humming in her head. Her limbs were stiff and unwilling, her stomach felt like she hadn't eaten in weeks, but above all she was thirsty.

The thirst alone made her move, half blind she crawled to a hollowing in the cave floor, greedily lowering her entire chin in the water to drink.

It had bearly entered her mouth before she sprayed the saltwater in the air and pushed herself away from the awful taste.

A sound behind her, something between a laugh and a sneer, made her turn sharply. Snapping at the air she regretting the painful movement.

The surroundings sailed at her eyes, clouding her vision.

Nausea threatening to make her throw up, despite her empty stomach.

It took some time before her body had calmed down enough for her to focus on the person behind her. 

Kylo monitored her calmly from the other side of a little fire. On a metal spike, he held some sort of bird stripped of its feathers hovering over the flames.

He was cooking.

It was a weird image, as Rey had never really imagined him eat.

He had to, everyone had to, it was just too normal an action for a person like Kylo Ren.

The thought of food provoked a loud rumble from her gut. She had never tasted real meat before, but she was willing to eat almost anything.

A canteen dangled from Kylo's hand, Rey heard the water moving around inside.

"Thirsty?" he asked.

Rey tried to contain it but knew that it was painfully obvious exactly how thirsty she was. A twitch at the side of Kylo's lips, not quite a smile, but enough to tell Ray that he enjoyed the situation. Rey wanted to resist, but she couldn't repress the images of countless people, dying from dehydration in the merciless heat on Jakku. She nodded once.

"Then say it." He demanded.

She gritted her teeth, "I am thirsty." She hated that smug expression of his.

"Now, was that so hard?" He flung the canteen in her direction, without bothering to aim.

Rey stretched her aching body to get a grip on it. The cold water poured into her mouth and she quickly emptied the entire thing. It cleared her head a bit and flushed away most of the nausea. "Thanks." She whispered, more to the water, itself, than to Kylo.

For a moment she was just there, laying with her chest against the stony ground and her cheek on the cold surface of the canteen. Forgetting about Kylo. Enjoying a fleeting sensation of steadiness.

Then the moment was gone. She noticed the smell of the cooking bird sneaking its way to her nose and her stomach betrayed her as it loudly demanded some of his food.

Now that her head was beginning to function normally again, she slowly got herself into a sitting position. It took effort, but she would not stay face down in the dirt in front of Kylo Ren.

She noticed the cave, the rough yellow stone surrounding them and the hostile white spicks hanging from the cave ceiling, big enough to impale her if they were to fall.

To one side was an opening where she could see the heavy rain, she heard the roar of the wind and the raging thunder. A storm?

To the other an all-consuming darkness, as the cave transformed into multiple tunnels.

And in front of her; she glanced at his dark appearance.

Rey remembered his broken figure, the chains, the blood. He had cleaned up quite a bit; his wounds were treated, the blood wiped away and he was wearing a black T-shirt.

She felt on her shoulder, discovering a becta-patch covering the wound.

How did they end up in the cave? why where they still together?

Without realizing it, she reached out to him through the bond, only to meet a fortress protecting his mind.

"Don't you dare," he sneered.

Rey drew back, shooting out her chin and raising her own mental armor.

Kylo held the bird back from the fire to see if it was done. Satisfied, he started to peel off small pieces of meat and stuff his mouth.

Reluctant to actuality ask Kylo Ren for food, Rey just kept an eye on him.

Fortunately, she was used to being hungry and knew how to suppress it.

"What happened?" she asked.

Kylo didn't answer.

"How did we get here?"

He was glaring at her, telling her to  _shut the hell up_  without conveying the actual words.

It didn't discourage her. There was no sign of the fury and bloodthirst, she had felt from him back in the cell.

It made her wonder if this was his normal state of mind; calmly angry.

"Did you save me?" The words were said before she could stop them.

Kylo flinched. Slowly lifting his head, fixating her with the Force.

Rey didn't look away. Wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She starred right back into his dark eyes. She knew that she was too weak to put up any real fight, but refused to concede. His hostility all but confirmed her suspicion.

After a long time, he loosened the grip on her, turning his attention back to the half-eaten bird.

Why?

The lonely word echoed in her head and she was unsure whether she wanted to hear the answer or not.

"Did you kill them? The stormtroopers and the people from the First Order?" She knew he did, of course, he did, the question was meant to distract her toughs, not pray an answer.

She could nearly see him sight before he answered, "yes," there was no sign of remorse or guilt.

"Must you kill everyone?" She knew that it was quite a low blow, they  _had_  tortured him, chained him and drained his power to restrain him.

He studied her in a long moment. "Tell me Scavenger, how many stormtroopers have you killed?"

Rey frowned, uncomfortable with the question. "That's different"

"Wasn't your little traitor-friend a stormtrooper? FN-2187"

"His name is Fin, and he is different."

"why?"

"Because he isn't a..."

"Nameless, faceless white mask?"

"He isn't a mindless killer!" She snapped.

"And Starkiller Base? Not only stormtroopers but millions of officers, engineers, scientists, doctors, assistants and regular workers. I bet you didn't even think about them."

Rey blinked. She had tough about it, dreamt about it, for months.

"It had to be done." She repeated to him, as she had to herself again and again "It killed billions of innocent people with one shot, you were recharging it! Aiming at my friends."

"so, it is merely a question of numbers? You murder millions, I murder billions, then I am the monster?"

"I didn't murder them," she said, her words ringing hollow.

Kylo crunched a little smile. "But you helped blow up the base." 

"I won't justify my actions to you!" Rey spat the words at him.

It was easy to direct her frustration and anger on him. Had Rey been able to stand, she would have thrown herself at him at full force, using every dirty trick she had ever learned. But she was locked in her position on the cave floor.

They stared each other down. Despite the storm raging outside the cave, all the sounds felt dimmed.

"I'm not judging you," Kylo said, breaking off the silent battle between them. 

"Like I care!"

Reluctant to turn her back to him, she lay down on her side. Unable to sleep she concentrated on the fire while keeping an eye on the big shadow on the other side of the flames. Loathing him for reawakening the memory of Starkiller Base.

What stung the most were the ring of truth in Kylo's words.

One thing was slashing down attacking stormtroopers, defending herself and her friends, something else entirely to blow up a base the size of a planet, killing civilians in the process.

It didn't matter that the First Order did it all the time, it only made it worse, making her think that she was just like them.

When she had voiced her doubt to Poe, he calmly sat her down and told her stories of how evil the First Order really was. Assuring her that she was nothing like them. Explaining how important it had been to destroy the First Order's most powerful weapon, saving the Resistance and bringing hope to the people.

"Causalities is unavoidable in war, try not to think too much about it" Poe finished.

Afterward, she pouched the blame on the First Order.

And on Kylo...

Listening to the rain and the thunder, she once again wondered what the hell Kylo was thinking.

The image of the cell and his beaten figure wouldn't leave her mind. The fact that he was able to break free and fight his way out, despite being so utterly tied down and broken, was terrifying.

He seemed fully healed now.

Rey traced her memories back.

How long had she been unconscious?

Why was she unconscious?

It occurred to her, that she didn't know.

-

Kylo left the cave every morning. Throwing a pair of nutrition bars at Rey, ordering her to eat.

Rey was reluctant, but still unable to stand, even after two days rest. Weak and of no use whatsoever, which Kylo didn't hesitate to point out.

She needed to priorities her survival, even at the expense of her pride.

Rey's eyes wandered while she was eating, once again studying the natural stone spikes above her. Despite the dangerous situation, being stuck in a cave with an immobile body was incredibly boring.

Her eyes fell on the different supplies stolen from the stormtroopers.

The only unexpected thing in the cave was a pile of black jackets, one of which was mercifully loaned to her as a blanket at night.

Rey allowed herself a tiny smile. Remembering the biggest of the First Order jackets, stretched to the maximum to reach around Kylo's massive shoulders.

"Get rid of that ridiculous smile." Kylo scoffed from the cave entrance. His long steps quickly bringing him to the pile of coats. He tossed her jacket at her before moving to gather the supplies.

"Whats going on?" She asked.

"We need to move." Was the only answer she got.


	5. Chapter 5

Hanging over one of Kylo's shoulders next to the Z6 baton, Rey tried to subdue a sudden outburst of motion sickness.

Humiliated by the need to be carried, she was determined not to make matters worse by vomiting.

He didn't talk, and she was thankful.

Around them, the cave converted into dark tunnels. The sound of his big boots on the ground. Stones moving around as he took one step after the other. He moved his arm a bit to get a better grip on her waist and suddenly there was a lot of pressure on her stomach. Rey tried moving...

"Lie still" he ordered, bouncing his shoulder, only to worsen her nausea.

"Shut up." She quaked. Wishing that he had just left her in the cave. "Put me down."

"No."

"I need to get down." She gasped. The gagging noise made him understand and he lifted her down. He mumbled something about useless weak scavengers, but his hands were surprisingly gentle.

With the steady ground beneath her, she managed to calm her body.

"We need to go," Kylo's voice was impatient.

"Just a moment."

"We don't have a moment." He hissed, once again picking her up and placing her on his shoulder.

"Why are we running?"

...

"Kylo?"

"We are not running."

"It sure feels like it."

"Shut up."

"No! Why are we running?"

...

"Tell me!"

The shadow of a creature flickered in her mind, a predator, with four red eyes, a mouthful of sharp teeth and very big claws. As the image grew sharper it widened and she realized, that he had seen it from a great distance. More of them emerged from the darkness, kept behind barres with stormtroopers standing guard. Her blood froze as she counted five cages. Even Kylo would have his hands full dealing with all of them at the same time.

"Have they been unleashed?" She asked, dreading the answer.

"Not yet."

"Can we escape them?"

He growled, suppressing the need to tell her once more that they weren't running away, "it would help if you could walk."

"No one asked you to carry me." She bit.

"We wouldn't get anywhere if we had to wait for you to crawl all the way."

Rey gasped the opportunity. "No one asked you to wait for me, why am I even here?"

He seemed to really think about it. "I could use you as bait, right now you're not good for anything else." He seemed to like the idea, sending her a mental image of herself being ripped apart, while he went about killing the distracted beasts one by one.

"Don't you dear feed me to those things!"

"Nexus."

"What?"

"It's their name, scavenger."

"Whatever their name is, you are not using me like that!"

"Why not?" His voice lowered, "what other reason could I have to bring you with me?"

Time for a little payback, Rey thought, raising her mental defense, before she answered. "Maybe you just can't live without me." She mocked.

She immediately felt his anger, clawing its way towards her mind. "Don't overestimate yourself,  _scavenger_." His tone dripping with resentment.

She ignored the tightness in her chest and lashed out against him, "said the man _saving_  a Scavenger." Rey knew that she was pushing it, but she just couldn't help it. She wanted to get at him and went straight for his pride.

"Watch it." The threat was very real.

"Tell me, _hero_ , did you carry me like a princess?"

He pulled her off his shoulder, holding her in front of him in an iron grip. "Shut up!" His anger was boiling so hot, that she could nearly feel it oozing from his body.

"Make me." She replied, refusing to back down.

In a tense moment, his grip on her arms only seemed to tighten. Then he suddenly let go, and she fell to the ground like a used up washing cloth.

Fuming with anger, he stomped down the tunnel and left her behind.

-

Alone in the dark, Rey tried to see it as a good thing.

Loathing herself for depending on Kylo Ren like that.

She was a survivor.

More than capable of taking care of herself.

Crying from sheer frustration, she pressured her legs to move. With help from the Force, she managed to get up on one knee. Shifting her weight, the other leg lazily respondent and with support from the tunnel wall she pushed herself up.

Taking some time to breathe, Rey rejoiced. She was standing!

With most of her upper body leaned against the tunnel wall, she slowly started moving onward, one step at the time. The cave was too dark for her eyes, but she clearly felt everything around her in the Force, letting her navigate past the biggest obstacles on the ground.

Afraid she wouldn't get up again if she rested, she pushed herself forward.

Feeling Kylo's fury like a raging sandstorm up ahead, shrinking and getting a little weaker with each step he took.

Cursing him in every language she knew helped her stay focused.

He wouldn't come back for her, she was sure of that.

If it hadn't been for the monsters chasing them, she would have been kind of relieved. Kylo Ren always made everything difficult.

-

Kylo bashed his fist at the tunnel wall.

Why did she have to make everything so difficult!?

All those questions! He didn't know why he had taken her.

_He was not going to use the word "Saved"!_

It just felt wrong leaving her in the cell and he hadn't bothered to think it through.


	6. Chapter 6

Gaining more control of her body, Rey reached out to the Force, letting it fill her with energy. Soon she was able to walk without the support of the cave wall.

Fortunately, the pockets in the First Order jacked was stuffed with nutrition bars, witch Kylo had made her carry. Refusing to think of it as stealing, she ate one and even got a little sleep before she went on.

How many days did she spend in the darkness?

It was impossible to tell time in the tunnel. It could have been one day or three days, she didn't feel the difference. She slept when she was tired, ate when she was hungry. Trying to ration the nutrition bars.

By the time she felt the exit up ahead, she was nearly herself again, except for the fact that she was thirsty. Cursing Kylo for leaving her without water, she approached the light in front of her. The sun was sharp to her dark mitten eyes. Blinking away the sunspots, the vision that met her was breathtaking.

High mountains colored in yellow, pale blue and orange surrounding a vast sky blue lake. The sunlight glittering like stars on the surface of the water. 

This was the first time she saw the surface of the planet and it was beautiful. The terrain mostly consisted of mountains, cliffs, and rocks. Scattered around were small clusters of trees with warm red leaves dipping their hanging branches in the lake water.

On Jakku everything seemed to have the dusty color of sand, but here the colors stood clear in their own might.

After confirming the quality of the water, she sank her hands in the lake forming a cup and lifted the clear water to her mouth, drinking her full.

Splashing water on her face and washing her neck, she felt like a new woman, bursting with the need to explore. Determined, she headed off in the opposite direction from Kylo.

Following the lake, she climbed the rocky landscape, admiring the view and searching for a place where she could spend the night.

The red-eyed beasts roamed in her mind. If she was extraordinarily lucky, they would go straight for Kylo and leave her alone. It was unlikely. They hardly seemed picky about their prey. If she happens to come across one, or all, of them it would be a fight on life and death.

She needed a weapon.

Her beloved lightsaber was lost and the boe-staff standing uselessly in her quarters on the resistance base.

Lacking alternatives, she ended up unwrapping one of her arms and tying a fist-size rock at each end of the bandage. Primitive, but it had to do. There were enough nutrition bars for about three days and the lake provided plenty of fresh water.

Next, she needed to find a community of some kind, a place with people, and preferably a starship.

Kylo was the only human she sensed nearby, but maybe if she meditated, she would be able to reach out further.

It was worth a shot but needed to wait. She was far too tired to concentrate on meditation.

The sun dropped behind the shadowy mountains and the wind went icy, cutting through her dessert cloth. Grateful for the thick fabric, she flipped up the collar of the First Order jacket and wrapped it tightly around herself, heading for a secluded spot to get some sleep.

-

Kylo felt it. Something was wrong with the girl.

A flood of feelings, alarm, and fear mixed with determination invaded his mind. Annoyed he swept it away, closing himself off as best he could.

A slight pain, probably scratches, wiggled its way into his mind.

The irritation builds up within him.

She was fighting. As if that was something new.

Kylo kept his calm, trying to ignore it. She should be perfectly capable of handling whatever was going on. If not, she wasn't worth his time.

The pain and fear increased.

His fingers enclosed the handle on the Z6 baton.

Panic stroke, he could feel her pumping heart and the adrenaline kicking in.

He ran.

-

It was barely morning when a creeping feeling of danger woke her up. Deadly stillness surrounded her. The space around the lake, a place that had been breaming with wildlife the night before, sounded entirely deserted. She rolled around, slipping forward to peak over the edge of the little plateau.

It was one of the beasts.

Wandering around the lake shore. She could hear the sharp sounds of its claws against the stone base. Klik, Klik, Klik, Klik... Rey held her breath, gently untying her improvised weapon, trying to suppress her loudly beating heart and mutely begging it to just go away.

A sound. Pebbles moving above her, and then: Klick, klick, klick...

Rey turned her head, and her heart jumped in her chest. Four red eyes watching, as if evaluating her, and grinning with an absurdly large mouth, full of sharp teeth. She slowly got on her legs. Maintaining eye contact with the beast, as well as a person with two eyes can have eye contact with a beast with four. She had dealt with bigger things back on Jakku, mostly it just came down to standing your ground.

The beast jumped at her, aiming at her neck. Rey dodged, swinging the stones around for speed and unleashing them, aiming for its head.

It was a lot harder to aim the stones than she had imagined.

It didn't help that the beast was deadly quick, maneuvering her throw and flying at her again. She only just evaded the attack by shielding herself with the Force. It immediately whipping the ends of its long, split tail at her, one of the ends stroke her on the side of the head. Rey tumbled backward, surprised by its agility.

The commotion had spiked the interest of the one at the lake, causing it to start climbing.

The adrenaline pumped through Rey's body, as she used all her energy springing back and forth, eluding the lethal claws and trying to hit it with the stones. Had it not been for the Force, she had been dead for sure. A claw scratched Rey's leg as she jumped to the side and another attack got her a deep cut on her upper hip.

Out of breath she finally got the chance, grabbing the stones with both hands she bashed its head with all her might.

Only one hit and the nightmarish creature was down.

Unfortunately, it had friends. The one below her was getting unnervingly close, and yet another emerged from above.

Rey turned on the spot and climbed the cliffs behind her. Getting to higher ground would give her a much-needed advantage. As long as the beasts were bad climbers.

-

When Kylo got sight of her, she was in big trouble. Cornered on the top on some cliffs, two nexus was closing in on her. Impressively enough, a nexu was already lying dead on the ground.

Kylo threw the jacket aside, rolled his shoulders a bit and adjusted his grip on the Z6 baton, then he jumped into the fight.

Utilizing the moment of surprise, he struck the first nexu above the shoulders. Using the Z6 baton to shield himself from claws and teeth, he blindly reached his free hand up at Rey.

She didn't hesitate. They interlocked their forearms giving her the support she needed to land a flying kick on a nexu. Swinging, what looked like a homemade sling, she fought back to back with him.

The thrill of it overtook him, just like the last time, fighting in unison with her felt like the most natural thing in the world.

With their minds connected, they were moving as one, making it easy to provide support and fend off the nexus.

He let his knowledge, their hollow bones and tendency to tire out quickly, flow to her and she took it all in, adjusting her force to simply deflecting the claws, teeth and split tails. Letting the animals use up all their energy.

This was right.

This was how it was supposed to be. Him and Rey, fighting together instead of against each other. Why couldn't she see that?

It was over. Kylo gave the finishing blow to a fatally wounded nexu.

Then he heard her voice through the bond  _You came back._  It was neither a question nor a statement. Feelings of lingering pain, disbelieve and; an overwhelming amount of relief, radiated from her as she sank to her knees.

She looked awful. Her hair buns all but gone, the First Order jacked torn several places, blood rippled from a cut on the side of her brow and the rest of her body covered with wounds from the nexus claws and teeth. Her chest expanding and decreasing, pulling in the air as if there wasn't enough oxygen around her.

The stubborn draw of her mouth told him that she was fighting the impulse to cry.

Kylo couldn't help himself. In a long step, he was beside her, crouching down, pulling her into his arms. Astonished that she let him, he held her close as her shoulders began to shake.


	7. Chapter 7

Embarrassment colored Rey's wet cheeks as her sobbing subdued. She wasn't sure how long she had clung to Kylo's chest.

 

 

Suddenly feeling like a dependent child, she wanted to vanish on the spot. Her heart was beating so loudly, that she was sure he could hear it.

Feel it.

She placed her hands on his shoulders, adding a light pouch, signaling for him to let go of her. The grip around her loosened and she forced her shaking legs to stand, turning her back at Kylo. Trying to hide the redness of her cheeks and wipe her tears away. None of them said a word as both were trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Rey was puzzled by the warmth and calmness she felt in his embrace.

Then Kylo moved, startling her with the unexpected sound of his boots scraping against the ground. He took a few steps away, then approached her.

She held her breath, trying to be ready for whatever he was going to do.

"Patch yourself up." He said and pressed a medic-pack into her hands. Then he headed down towards the lake.

Rey blinked. Staring down at the medic-pack, barely remembering what she was supposed to do with it. She heard the distant splashing noises of him washing his face, filling the canteen, drinking and filling it again.

Then her eyes fell on the dead beasts. She had barely survived fighting one of them on her own.

Kylo...

It had been so easy fighting beside him.

"Hurry up, we need to get going," Kylo announced as he returned to the plateau.

"You are hurt." Rey's eyes fixated on a deep cut on his upper arm.

He didn't seem to care. "Just take care of yourself."

Rey ignored him, grabbing some antiseptic from the medic-pack, she started treating his wound. He didn't oppose or try to move, which made her a bit uneasy. Pushing the feeling away she focused on getting the wound properly cleaned and bandaged; ignoring the fact that she was touching his bare skin.

The scar caught her attention. The one she had given him on Starkiller Base.

It suddenly seemed like a lifetime ago.

Kylo noticed her gaze on the scar, his eyes fell to her hands, which had stopped moving. Then their eyes met, and she immediately drew back from the finished bandage.

"Where are we going?" She asked, needing to direct her focus away from... Whatever that look meant.

"We need to find a ship of some sorts." He seemed a little shaken but quickly regained his composure. "I haven't found any sign of locals, so I think our best shot is stealing a First Order fighter"

Rey started disinfecting the worst of her own wounds. "That's a bad idea. They expect you to do something like that."

"I know, but I don't see an alternative."

"Just because there aren't any locals nearby, it doesn't mean the planet is deserted."

"We can't just wander around aimlessly." He countered. Picking up his jacket and making sure nothing was lost.

"That's not what I'm suggesting."

"Then what?"

"That it would be nice to avoid getting shot." She snapped

Kylo rolled his eyes "is it better to starve?"

Rey sighted. "We are not going to starve."

If anything, she knew how to survive in the wilderness. This place had water and rich wildlife, pure luxury next to the desserts of Jakku.

"We have limited resources..."

"We can eat what we hunt," she interrupted.

Kylo ignored her remark, "and I'm pretty damn sure Hux is preparing something. I prefer facing him on my terms."

"If you go after a First Order ship it won't be on your terms. You'll be dancing straight into a trap."

Kylo growled.

"Let's wait a bit." Rey pleaded, zipping the Medic-pack and got on her feet. "Give me a chance to meditate. I'll maybe find something useful."

Kylo just sneered, once again his angry self. "Meditate all you want. We go for the First Order fighter tomorrow morning." He turned, making it clear that they were moving up the mountain.

"You can't just decide that." She argued, trying to keep up with his long steps.

"Yes, I can."

"No. We might find another way."

Kylo just went on. "Open your eyes, where do you think we are? It's not a coincidence that we were imprisoned on this specific planet."

"What?"

"This is Amania. The black Amaniastone drains the power of the Dark Side. It's practically poison to me."

"The prison floor...?"

He nodded lightly. Annoyed by her lack of knowledge.

"But you escaped. It can't be that..."

He cut her off. "I only escaped because you thoughtlessly poured your power inside me, it healed me and helped me get control of the Force."

Rey felt the admission stab a deep wound in his pride. "I did?" He would probably never have told her, if not for the need to win the argument.

"You don't remember?"

"No. I..." Suddenly the pieces fell in to place. "That's why I lost consciousness? Why I wasn't able to walk?" Then she smirked. "It seems like you owe me one."

"I owe you nothing." He snarled, "I got you out of the prison, that's more than enough."

Amused by the sudden turn Rey continued. "No. I doubt they would have killed me. But you..." She pointed to his back. "You were as good as executed. I saved your life!"

"Don't push it, Scavenger."

"Rey." She proclaimed.

"What?"

"My name is Rey."

"I know that."

"Then use it!"

Kylo stopped so suddenly that she almost walked right into him. "How come you focus on that?"

"I'm getting tired of you calling me: Scavenger." She stubbornly replied.

"I'll call you whatever I want," Kylo said, ending the argument by adding a silent  _Rey_.

-

"It's a waste of time." Kylo decreed, as Rey sunk down to the ground, folding her legs in the meditation position.

Rey ignored him, concentrating on the Force.

Slowly she started sensing everything around her.

First; the cave serving as their shelter for the night. It was a lot smaller than the previous cave they shared, just high enough for Kylo to stand upright and wide enough that they didn't feel cramped together.

Kylo was adjusting and cleaning the Z6. She felt his disbelief in her plan and the determination to follow his own. Motivating her to prove him wrong.

She expanded her mind, feeling the mountain and its neighbors. Tracing the wildlife looking for intelligence.

The first big concentration of it was the First Order and a frightening amount of stormtroopers. It only reinforced her resolve not to go near them.

She concentrated on the land in the opposite direction, stretching her mind as far as possible. Rey smiled, as she touched the lifeforce of a farming family.

There really were locals!

Humanoids. Two adults, and three children. She marked their position in her mind and went on. Feeling in different directions in search of a city of some kind.

Then she felt it; a familiar calling.

She instinctively knew what was calling her, but didn't like the direction it came from. She investigated a bit, hoping halfheartedly that she was wrong.

She wasn't.

Rey opened her eyes. stretching her sleeping legs and started to massage them to get rid of the cramps.

"So?" Kylo asked, wiping a piece of the dissembled barton.

"I found locals." She replied.

"but?" he asked, voicing the silent word hanging at the end of her sentence.

Rey took a deep berth, hesitant to tell him. "I found something else too." She looked him straight in the eyes "My lightsaber, and yours."

He was silent for a second. "With the First Order?"

She nodded. "It's a trap."

"Of cause it is."

"But we can do it"

Kylo lifted a brow, "I thought you were against it?"

"I want my lightsaber back. If we can get to them without attracting too much attention, we stand a chance of stealing one of their ships on the way out. My only concern is..." She glanced at his big build, "Do you have a stealth mode?"

Slight confusion slipped over his face. "A what?"

"Can you sneak in without getting noticed?"

His eyes darkened. "I can."

A tiny chill went down her back. "Good, then let's make a plan"

"Why?" He seemed utterly uninterested.

"To not get killed." She replied.

"Waste of time. General Hux definitely has a fully thought out game plan prepared. Whatever plan we come up with, he will predict, planning countermeasures."

"Then what the hell are we going to do?"

"Use the Force." He replied.

 

 

 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

"I don't like this," Rey repeated for the hundredth time, standing blindfolded on a plateau, next to a sharp edge with a fall of 20 meters.

"You need the training," Kylo responded for the fiftieth time, lurking around the inner edge of the plateau.

Rey had reluctantly agreed to let him teach her the basics of Force fighting.

Under other circumstances she would instantly refuse him, she already had on more than one occasion, but this was a matter of going unarmed up against the First Order fleet. 

Rey wasn't too proud to see, that she needed all the help she could get.

As she was able to feel his presence through their Force bond, it wasn't an exercise in sensing the enemy. Instead, she was to simultaneously have a controlled hold of her power, a feeling of the environment and be able to defend and attack with the Force as her only weapon.

It was a lot to ask of one lesson, but they were short on time. The Z6 baton sang in the air. Rey followed her instinct, blocked and jump out of the way.

Kylo sighted. "Stop jumping around and attack!" His swing of the baton became more rapid, driving her towards the edge.

"I need a break." She pleaded, they had been at it for hours.

"Then stop me!" He commanded.

Rey jumped, as he swung a particularly powerful blow at her, trying to counter with a clumsy kick.

"You need to do better than that." Kylo mocked.

Rey spun around, instantly irritated by his smugness, her fist aiming at his head. Kylo dodged with ease, grasping her fist and threw her to the ground. "You are dead." He said.

Removing the blindfold, Rey glared up at him.

Kylo didn't seem to care, "again." He ordered.

 _Sadist!_ Rey thought, making no effort to hide it.

Kylo ignored her, swinging the weapon around him in a couple of rounds to keep his muscles warm.

With newfound determination, Rey tied the blindfold over her eyes and took her place at the start out point. This time Kylo came at full force, making the pebbles sitter on the ground. Rey concentrated on her breathing, feeling her center and the power rushing towards her.

On reflex she manipulated the Force around her, sending Kylo flying over her head and landing on his back behind her, only inches from the edge. 

"You are dead." Rey boasted.

Kylo rose from the ground. "Not yet." He proclaimed, resuming the attack. 

Rey spun around concentrating the Force on her forearms to block him. This time she stood her ground, deflecting every stroke solely with the Force. Trying to get some hits in with a turning Force kick, she slipped and sledded a few meters across the ground.

Kylo didn't give her time to rest, she only just rolled out of the way as the barton slammed to the ground.

Exploiting his bend down position, she got a hold of the arm carrying the weapon. Throwing him to the ground, placing a knee on his chest and wrapping her hands around his neck. Concentrating the Force not to hurt him, but to hold him down. "You are dead!" She triumphed, panting heavily as she removed the blindfold.

Looking this closely into his eyes, she discovered that they weren't as black as she had imagined. Instead, they had a warm brown color. His big chest roast and fell under her knee as they stared at each other.

Something surfaced in Rey, a feeling, a need to be closer to this man. She saw in his eyes, that he felt it too. His eyes were almost begging her to...

To what?

Suddenly aware of the man beneath her, she released the grip around his neck and removed herself from him. Rey felt him through their connection, like a burning fire of passion. Her heart started beating faster. Of fear or excitement? She wasn't sure.

"Rey." His voice was strangely soft, and she couldn't bring herself to answer.

"Rey, look at me," Kylo commanded, with no result.

Then he took a hold in her shoulder, turning her, only to see a pair of shiny and confused eyes looking up at him.

He glanced down at her lips, and... Before she knew it, his lips were on hers.

Rey gasped in surprise, but she didn't pouch him away. Instead, she leaned in against him.

The kiss was soft and surprisingly gentle and made her heart pound wildly in her chest.

She felt his arms around her, pulling her closer, and she nearly drowned in the sensation. She had been kissed before, but it was never like this.

Kylo softly broke the kiss, drawing his head back a bit to look her in the eyes.

He brushed a strain of hair away from her forehead, and let the back of his hand follow the curve of her chin.

Rey's gaze flickered between his eyes and his mouth. Then she reached up and kissed him. Letting her fingertips trace the scar she had given him, feeling his damp hair down the side of his head and letting the hand find rest on his lower chin.

It felt so natural; being this close to him, wanting to get closer.

His arms locked themselves around her. "Rey," Kylo whispered and laid his head on her neck. Holding her even closer.

She kissed the top of his head. Holding him just as tightly.

An inner voice told her, that she wasn't supposed to be with this man.

That no one in the resistance, or the entire galaxy, would understand. She didn't even fully understand it herself.

Kylo Ren was a short-tempered and unreasonable killer. Rey knew that better than anyone.

Yet a feeling other than hate had surfaced and started to grow while she was training with master Luke.

Somewhere in between their bonded visions, she started feeling less alone. Started to long for him when he was not there.

She had missed Kylo and felt the emptiness of his absence ever since the Battle of Crait.

Unwilling to admit it, she had closed off the connection between them and locked off the frightening feelings.

Now there was no denying what she felt, no regret and no restrains. Rey just held on to him, letting her emotions flow.

Kylo did the same and she was relieved that his feelings matched her own.

"We need to train some more," Rey said, after a long time of them just sitting there. Somehow, she was now across on his lap.

"I don't want to." Kylo murmured, making his hold around her waist a little tighter.

Rey snickered. "You don't want to fight? That's a first."

Kylo lifted his head, looking her straight in the eyes as he replied. "I never wanted to fight you."

"But you did." She said.

His eyes hardened. "I had to."

She wrapped her arms around him once more and rested her chin on his hair, "I know." She whispered, feeling her heart tighten.

They had always been on opposite sides of the war, like two sides of a coin.

Rey; unable to ignore the cruelty of the Frist Order, and Kylo; unwilling to break free of it.

Rey didn't want to change, she had to believe that the universe could live in peace and that it could be accomplished in a peaceful manner.

She knew, that Kylo was unlikely to change. He planned to ruin the First Order, a power currently ruling supreme, and create a New Order.

There was only war and death on that part.

A moment she imagined just running away with him. Finding some remote planet at the outer rim and settle down.

Forgetting about the Resistance and the First Order and the war.

"Sounds tempting," Kylo remarked, reading her mind.

Rey smiled, "I can't really imagine you as a farmer."

Kylo snorted.

The sun was slowly setting, painting the sky in purple and pink against the yellow mountains. The surface of the lake reflected the colors and glittered calmly beneath them. It was a breathtaking sight.

"I could be a scavenger," Kylo suggested.

Rey couldn't help but laugh, "I would like to see you try."

"I could." He insisted, finding his way back to her lips.

She answered the kiss, feeling the warmth of his closeness, but she couldn't get rid of the uneasy feeling.

A steelpeaker might care for a nightwatcher worm, but they would never be able to live together.


	9. Chapter 9

The sudden change in their relationship didn't soften Kylos teaching style. At dawn he pressed her harder than before, determined to make her improve faster.

Rey didn't mind. It made it a lot easier to attack him when he acted like a demanding jerk.

"You need to focus!" He repeated. Seated across from her on the ground.

While taking a break from the physical training, Kylo had explained the basics of how to knock out a person with the Force.

Rey focused, but it was a lot harder than just weaving your hand. You had to know exactly where to grip, and it was such a small part of the brain, it was hard to locate.

"Ouch!" Kylo sneered, as she tried to knock him out. "It's not meant to be a violent move."

"Your one to talk about violence," Rey mumbled.

"Did I ever hurt you when I knocked you out?"

"No." She replied, "but waking up in an interrogation chamber wasn't really a nice surprise."

He chuckled. "I'll try to remember that."

Rey blinked and her heart skipped a beat, amazed to see him smile so openly.

"Now try again." His harsh voice snapped her back to reality

Rey tried to get a hold of her breathing, emptying her mind, but the new attempt got interrupted by a faint sound in the distance. "You hear that?"

"Concentrate," Kylo demanded, but then he heard it too; the humming.

While running for cover, the First Order TIE-fighters passed above them. They waited a long moment under the red leaves, as the tiny black dots disappeared under the horizon.

Rey and Kylo shared a single look between them:  _Time was up_.

"Let's go make a mess of that nicely planned trap," Rey said, suddenly wearing a serious frown.

Kylo stopped her with a hand, "don't you dare die." He warned her.

Rey snickered, trying to make it sound like that wasn't even possible.

"I mean it." He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. "I swear if you do something reckless or stupid..." This time his kiss was rough and demanded her obedience.

"Everything about this situation is reckless and stupid." She countered, a little breathless after the kiss.

"I know." He looked straight into her eyes, a glint of worry flashed through their bond, "don't make it worse."

"The same goes for you." Her voice was only a whisper, "don't you dare die." Then she kissed him, softly, as her way of telling him not to worry.

They quickly divided the supplies in two and went in each their direction around the mountain, towards the calling of their lightsabers and the trap.

-

General Hux smirked as he looked over his masterpiece from his Upsilon-class command shuttle.

Hux didn't make any effort to hide his presence. He had no illusions about them not knowing the obvious and didn't bother. They would come either way.

The entire mountain valley was guarded and heavily armored, though it didn't look like it. Hux wanted a clear vision, not letting Ren or the girl sneak in on the bait unseen. The Knights of Ren, a few handpicked beasts, and a thousand stormtroopers was hiding in and around the valley, ready for them. The bait was placed on a barren area at the center of the valley, in a box, carved from Amaniastone, preventing them from calling the lightsabers using the force.

The valley itself was directly on top of a natural concentration of Amaniastone, which according to the Knights of Ren, would destabilize Rens power quite a bit. Hux didn't trust their mombo jumbo, an entire floor of that magic stone didn't stop Ren from escaping the prison, but it had certainly weakened him. Only a fool wouldn't take the advantage.

On the off chance that Ren and the girl should be able to defeat all his men, improbable but still, Hux had ten TIE-fighters to monitor the area and full back up from a Star Destroyer waiting just outside the planets gravitation field.

He was ready for everything.

Then his expression froze. The commanding officers around him googling in total disbelief, as Kylo Ren walked into the valley through the main road with his hands over his head.

There was no sight of weapons or hostility. Only a smug face and a posture clearly saying: "I surrender, dumbass"

-

The stormtroopers slowly approached. Every one of them had either heard of or personally witnessed the power of Kylo Ren. His temper and strength. The ability to choke and throw people around, deflect blaster shots and lift heavy objects, all with the power of his mind. Not to mention his recent breakout.

Him being this docile made them uneasy and unsure of what to do.

The order was; "kill on sight," but none of them had the nerve to fire the first shot right to his face.

"Ren, what are you up to?" A Knight of Ren stepped out of the shadows. Instantly reliving the stormtroopers of the responsibility to make a decision.


	10. Chapter 10

Rey silently climbed down the mountainside, finding cover as she observed the Stormtroopers patrolling a narrow passageway leading to the valley.

There was thirty of them, a squad permanently posted at the passage, and two separate squads on rotation patrols around the area. She quickly identified the squat leaders, giving orders to the others and making reports regularly. Impatiently, she waited.

As the two rotating squads were away, she started meditating, reaching out to the area outside the valley. Letting the Force fill her body to the brim.

Breathing in, and out...

The landscape was rougher here than at the lake, with huge cliffs spared all over the place and not much vegetation. Ideal for an ambush. She imagined a picture of herself, sneaking over the ground, getting startled and then running away, hiding behind the cliffs. It only lasted five seconds. The picture was unclear, foggy around the edges and two-dimensional, but it served its purpose, as she heard one of the stormtroopers beneath her report sight of the "fugitive "

"Get her!" the Squad leader commanded, as five of them ran down the mountain and disappeared around a big collision of rocks – the way they had seen her image run – and five stayed behind to guard the passage.

Rey made a few rocks roll down the mountainside, to further distract the stormtroopers chasing her image, leading them a bit further away before she broke concentration. Knowing that the other squads were spreading out trying to surround "her", she lowered herself down from her hiding place, waiting for a lonely stormtrooper to pass by.

She heard them before she saw them, two sets of boots on the rocky ground and the sound of armor. She threw a stone around the cliff, landing behind them. They reacted immediately, splitting to trap her on the other side of the cliff. She knocked out the first one with a swift kick to the head. Fixating the second with the Force.

"You haven't seen me," Ray said.

"I haven't seen you." The stormtrooper repeated.

"You just stay there as a good boy." She commanded.

"I just stay here as a good boy."

Rey quickly hopped in the unconscious stormtroopers armor, leaving him tied up behind the cliff, only partially naked, as she lay her abused First Order jacked over him like a cover.

"Now I am VR-5439," Rey said.

"Now you are VR-5439." the stormtrooper replied.

Rey posed as a stormtrooper for the rest of the day. It wasn't hard as nothing really happened at the passage. After a thorough search of the area, the squad leaders had reported the sight to General Hux, who ordered another search and then made them resume their guarding routine. When dusk approached, three squads came to take the night shift. Rey boarded a stormtrooper transport ship with the other stormtroopers, heading for the Star Destroyer to get some rest.

-

Kylo immediately recognized his former comrade, though all Knights of Ren wore black, they each had their unique mask, inspired by a Sith Lord of the past.

"I'm taking back what is mine." He said, answering the Knight's question.

The rest of the knights appeared around him. "I would like to see you try." one of them growled.

"Nice to see you too, Kafia." Kylo's tone wasn't friendly.

"Don't speak my name, traitor!" The knight barked, only held back from attack by the iron grip of a colleague.

Kylo didn't avert his eyes from the knight in front of him, "are you enjoying my position? Azrakil, Master of the Knights of Ren."

"I was." The knight named Azrakil admitted, "but I should have known, that you are too stubborn to die quietly."

Kylo smirked.

"Why is no one shooting him!?" 

Kylo could actually hear General Hux shouting from the speaker in the knight's helmet. Azrakil coldly turned off the communicator and told the stormtroopers, which had already started to take aim, to hold their fire.

Azrakil was undoubtedly the strongest of the knights. Force-sensitive and able to foresee and manipulate most of the opponent's moves. He seemed composed on the outside but had serious anger issues, even compared to Ren himself. Always focusing on damage, rather than efficiency and training. 

Kylo was the only one who could subdue him when his temper ran amok. Which was exactly what Kylo was hoping for in this particular situation.

"So, what is the plan? You distract us with this stupid act and then your little girl goes for the price?"

"Don't underestimate her," Kylo advised. "She might be more powerful than me."

Azrakil spit, "you have just gotten soft."

Kylo glared at Azrakil, "she is definitely more powerful than you."

Around them, the stormtroopers were getting restless. The General was constantly ordering them to fire at Kylo Ren through their communicators, but they were unable to defy a direct order form the Knights of Ren. Azrakil ignored them, studying Kylo he seemed positively surprised. "I sense less darkness in you. Have you finally succumbed to that girl?"

No doubt he saw it as a weakness on Kylo's side.

"Maybe." Kylo admitted, "but I'm still ten times stronger than all of you."

"I defeated you!" Azrakil sneered, his eyes glowing with killing intent behind the visor of his mask.

"I was wounded and drugged." Kylo mocked, "a disgraceful victory."

Azrakil roared.

"Come on, let's see what you got!" Kylo enticed, the knights growled in their anger and all of them attacking at once.

A shockwave of energy sent every single one of the knights, and the closest stormtroopers, flying.

Then Kylo spun around, deflecting a rain of blaster shots aimed at his back. Sprinting out of the valley with the knights and a good chunk of the stormtroopers on his tail.


	11. Chapter 11

Rey could feel what Kylo was doing and she immediately decided to punch him hard, as soon as possible.

What the hell was he thinking, telling her not to be reckless or stupid? 

He, himself, had just won the price for most reckless, stupid, dangerous, dumb strategy ever!

Rey had to control her feelings quite a bit, for her not to move or shout out.

Standing among the stormtroopers, as statues, side by side in rows of six, she only had a handle above her head to prevent her from losing balance. It was probably the most uncomfortable way of space-travel she had ever experienced. The only light was a dim red lamp marking the exit, casting a bloody glow on the white armor.

She couldn't repress the memory of Finn.

Rey was sure that he was alive, fighting somewhere with the resistance. It seemed like they hadn't seen each other in years. She disappeared on him, on the day the First Order had captured her. There were simply too many Stormtroopers and she had to lead them away from the newly established resistance base. Fin was her first real friend. She really hoped to be able to tell him someday.

The cabin shook, and the brake-engines went on. Shortly after they landed. The transporters exit ramp lowered, revealing the hangar of the  _Finalizer_. Once at the stormtrooper quarters, she sneaked out while the others crept into their bunks.

It struck her how little the stormtroopers were talking to each other. In the resistance, the loudest place on base had always been the soldier's quarters. Here, over fifty people shared the bunk wall, and they only mumbled groggily when then one in the front of them on the latter didn't move fast enough.

She pushed the uneasy feeling away, focusing on her mission.

Following Kylo's mental map, she made her way to a special hangar filled with TIE-fighters. They were strangely attractive; their black design and functionality somehow spoke to her scavenger heart.

The resistance fighters were all well used, well maintained X-wing fighters, but these seemed entirely new and had a special shine. She had to hold back to not glide her hand over the cockpit shell. They weren't her target, as they demanded a two-people crew, one to fly and one to shoot.

Walking a bit further Rey finally saw it. The  _TIE Silencer;_  Kylo's specialized, prototype fighter.

It was possibly the most beautiful fighter she had ever seen. Black, of course, and bigger than the standard TIE-fighters, as he often used it for personal transportation, and most importantly; it was possible to operate single-handedly.

 _Kylo, I need your passcode,_ Rey called over their bond. He didn't respond.

"What are you doing here?" Two stormtroopers approached, "this is a restricted area."

Rey pretended not to hear, and slid around the Silencer, out of view of the stormtroopers.  _Kylo?_

 _I'm busy!_ Kylo replied sharply.

 _The passcode!_  Rey demanded nearly running into yet another stormtrooper.

"Didn't you hear him?" The stormtrooper asked, "this is a restricted area."

"I'm sorry." Rey's eyes flickering between the stormtrooper and the control panel by the closed ramp. She took a deep breath "This is my first time on a Star Destroyer."

"This is your first time on a Star Destroyer."

"Wave and tell them that I'm just a Newbie getting a tour."

The stormtrooper waved at the stormtroopers approaching. "She is just a newbie getting a tour," he explained. They didn't really seem to buy it until Rey repeated the words to them once more. 

"She is just a newbie getting a tour." The three of them echoed and then they returned to their posts.

 _Kylo!_  She shouted across the boned, finally getting the numbers thrown into her mind. The code was accompanied by pain. Dulled down and concealed, as he was trying to hide it from her, but it was definitely there. Someone was hurting him. Rey clanged her teeth as she wrote in the passcode. She had to hurry.

As the ramp lowered, she was ready to shield herself from the stormtroopers guarding the hangar.

She wasn't prepared for the ten stormtroopers aiming at her from the inside. Surrounded in seconds, she raised her hands in the air.

"Steeling, are we?" A black-clad officer approached, "VR-5439. Another defect? Or are you simply rebel-scum?"

Rey didn't answer.

"General Hux warned us that there might sneak a thieving rat on board." He explained, clearly certain in his superiority.

Rey concentrated, gathering the force around her as a cape. The swift kick sent the officer flying. He never saw it coming. Rey didn't bother to check where he landed, as she had already attacked the stormtroopers. Fury rose in her; Kylo was  _hurting_  and they were standing in her way.

They were no match for her, even with their blasters and batons.

After training blindfolded with Kylo, they seemed like flies at her mercy, they could only flap around trying not to get squished.

The blaster shots recoiled against the fighters boarding ramp as she closed it. Throwing off the stormtrooper helmet, she made her way to the cockpit.

It was easy to see that the entire ship was custom-made to fit Kylos big build. Good for him, but inconvenient for her, as she had to stretch to reach some of the important switches. The humming sound of the engine was pure magic, as the fighter lifted from the hangar floor.

She had only just gotten the shield up, as a squad of heavy weapons, stormtroopers matches into the hangar, taking aim. The blasts didn't scratch the fighter but it shook widely making it hard for her to aim the cannon straight at the hangar port.

Stray shots recoiled and hit the surrounding TIE-fighters, exploding and bursting into flames on each side of her. Rey pressed the red button, firing a hole in the hangar port and pressed the speeder.

Outside a welcoming party had already assembled. Shooting mercilessly from every angle.

It took all of her concentration and effort to maneuver, trying to shoot them down and avoiding the laser cannons and Kylo chooses that moment to contact her through the bond.

 _Rey,_  Kylo's voice sounded overstrained,  _D_ _o you have my fighter?_

 _Yes,_ she had only focus enough to send him one word. As she shot down a laser cannon, she got a little too close to a TIE-fighter and had to make a sharp turn.

Making an interloop she aimed at the other laser cannon.

_Good, I want you to take it and fly away_

Rey missed the cannon. Cold anger started to grow in her chest. 

 _No._ She answered

_Listen to me!_

_No!_

She flipped the Silencer around, firing at and hitting two TIE-fighters at her tail. Swinging in a large loop to make for the laser cannon once more.

 _Damn Rey! Just do as I say!_ He raged in her head.

This time she hit the cannon spot on, keeping an eye out for missiles and a good distance to the TIE-fighters _No, I won't._

 _Don't you dare come her!_ The anger had subdued, as one last word came across to her:  _P_ _lease._

Rey had to swallow, regaining control of her bubbling emotions she threw up her mental defense, literally slamming a door in his face, as she headed for the surface of the planet. 


	12. Chapter 12

General Hux was outraged.  Shifting between shouting at the knights to finish Ren and ordering the stormtroopers to start shooting. The Knights ignored him and the stormtroopers were too afraid to defy them. All that careful planning, thrown out of the window by a bunch of hotheaded Knights!

His face turned red, as he saw Ren run out of the valley, leading the Knights away from the advantage of the Amaniastone. 

Taking a second to calm his temper, Hux took a few deep breaths before shouting new orders at the officers around him.

-

Kylo felt relieved the second he was out of the valley. 

Once again fully confident in his strength, he turned around a two-meter rock, tracing the side with his fingers, pulling it behind him with the force and kicking it against his pursuers. Getting sight of the hiding place holding the Z6 baton, evading the blaster shots and finally grabbing the handle of his weapon.

Armed he turned to the Knights of Ren.

Azrakil was the first to attack. Swinging his red vibrosword against Kylo, knowing that if the vibroblade cut into the electronics of the Z6 barton, it could fry both himself and the weapon. Kylo blocked every hit, trying his best not to damage his Z6 baton in the process. As Azrakil fell back, Kylo got hit by a salvo of shots from dual guns and then bombarded with Kafia's grenades. Blocking all of it with the Force, the deflected explosions raised a dust cloud around him.

The bombing subdued as the hugest Knight bulldozered through the dust like an angry Reek **.**

Kylo moved to the side. Knowing that he would take substantial damage from a direct hit, he made quick of the big Knight. Hitting him straight over his shoulders with the baton. One down.

Azrakil wasn't waiting for him to catch his breath, immediately swinging the vibrosword at Kylos throat. Kylo threw him back with the force. Getting annoyed by the constantly firing dual guns he reached out to grip a collection of big rocks above the shooting knight, making him run from the landslide.

The stormtroopers finally caught op to them.

"Don't you dare interfere!" Azrakil shouted at them and instead they formed a curved position around Kylo and the Knights. Making sure Kylo wouldn't be able to maneuver away from the fighting ground.

Garnets were misshaping the mountain and cliffs around Kylo. 

The Knights attacked from all sides, not letting him rest and not letting him leave.

Though he had managed to keep his body unharmed, sometime soon his stamina would run dry.

 _Kylo, I need your passcode._ Rey's voice in his head. She had reached the Silencer.

He needed to end this quickly.

_Kylo?_

_I'm Busy._ He replied landing a satisfying kick on Azrakil.

Azrakil didn't back down, it only made him furious. He spits out the blood flowing from somewhere in his mouth, grinning his bloody teeth at Kylo, as his attacks grew more and more aggressive.

_The passcode!_

Kylo tried to concentrate on the code, knowing that she was most likely in some kind of trouble.

"Traitor!" The scream tore the air. Kylo only just blocked the attack of Kafia, swinging her boe-staff in an otherwise deadly blow.

"You are the traitors." Kylo sneered at her, using the staff to throw her against the cliffs.

The slight opening, as he let go of her staff, was enough for the sniper of the Knights to land a shot in his thigh.

_Kylo!_

Rey was still demanding the code. Kylo crunched his teeth, throwing the code at Rey, using the pain to fuel and keep control of his power. 

Knowing the sniper's position Kylo reached out for his neck with the Force, snapping it in one swift motion. Two down.

The Knight with the dual guns was ready again, resuming the long salvo of double shots.

Grasping a few of the grenades mid-air and throwing them back at the Knights, gave Kylo a second to concentrate his power, sending out another shockwave throwing them off the ground. 

Moving to stop the dual guns, Kylo grabbed one of them by the barrel and twisted it out of the Knights hands, shooting him in the head with his own gun. Three down. Claiming the other gun Kylo shot in a curved movement, hitting some stormtroopers, as he turned back to fire at Azrakil. 

They were way too close for comfort. Forcing Kylo to defend himself against the vibrosword with the Force. Cursing everything, Kylo let go of the pistols and once again grabbed the Z6 barton.

Kafia was back on her feet and they attacked simultaneously. Both infuriated by the death of their comrades.

Kylo held them at bay, feeling the strain on his exhausted body, but refusing to back down. If they wanted to kill him, he would make sure they weren't able to walk away afterword's.

Concentrating his effort, he gave them hell for several minutes.

Then they heard the humming sound of the TIE-fighters. Ten of them flying in a low V-formation, aiming their laser cannons at the ground and firing without care for friend or foe. In a fracture of a second, the three fighting Knights all had their eyes on the fighters. Multiple stormtroopers were hit, as the Knights scattered.

 _Had Hux gone crazy?_  Was the solitary thought that went through all of their heads.

In the cover of a large formation of cliffs, Kylo reached out to Rey, telling her to get away from the planet and not come back. 

Of course, the stubborn girl didn't listen. She only slammed up her defenses efficiently shouting him out of her mind.

He coursed her righteousness, adding the anger to his power. 


	13. Chapter 13

With the big laser cannons neutralized Rey's only concern was the TIE-fighters and the two missiles flowering her tail. Rotating, looping and flying in zigzag trying to lose them. Irritated that she was unable to fire at her pursuers, she made a sudden dive, turning the Silencer vertically 180 degrees.

Catching the TIE-fighters off guard and successfully hitting one of the missiles, as the other flew dangerously close past the underside of the fighter, only to turn and head right back at her.

Rey hit the speeder turning the ship upright again. Shooting at the scattering TIE-fighters. She hit one or two in the brief moment before they chased behind her again. The missile was the most dangerous of them. Following close behind her, locked on the fighters every movement.

Stirring directly for the Finalizer, she made a sudden turn at the last second, trying to whip the missile into the side of it.

It didn't work.

Though it did fool one of the TIE-fighter pilots, crashing his fighter right into the Star Destroyer.

Getting angry, Rey grew reckless trying to lose it at the top of the Star Destroyer, only to get five more missiles chasing after her. Using all the curses she had ever heard of, Rey looped to get a brief shot at the TIE-fighters. Maneuvering down the side of the Star Destroyer, desperately looking for some way to throw of the missiles.

Her eyes fell on the hyperdrive. The missiles couldn't follow her if she went into lightspeed. That would most likely throw off the TIE-fighters too.

Just halfway around the planet would be enough. She could make her way back to the valley, flying under the radar along the surface of the planet.

Only...

Did she have the time to do it?

Whatever was happening on the ground, it seemed like Kylo was losing.

She tried once more to maneuver the missiles, but they followed her tenaciously.

Rey took a deep breath; she would just have to hurry.

Once decided, she started the procedures and pulled the handle on the hyperdrive.

-

The crazy attack of the TIE-fighters continued. Firing at everything and anything on the ground. Kylo had no idea how long he had been there, trapped, unable to get away and unable to fight, with frustration building up within him. He hated being this powerless.

Reaching out, he managed to strangle a pilot, crashing one of the TIE-fighters. It wasn't enough. It was only a matter of time before one of them started firing at his hiding place. Clenching his teeth, he reached for another pilot, taken aback by the feeling of him flying, and shooting, in the opposite direction.

The attacks on the ground lessened a bit, but the noise didn't. Cautiously he moved a little forward. Frowning, as he saw the frikking Resistance attacking the TIE-fighters.

 _Kylo?_ Rey was calling him.

 _Yes._ Kylo answered, feeling a slight sensation of relive from her.

_I will be there in a moment._

_No._ He protested,  _go get the lightsabers._

_What?_

_Don't tell me you forgot why we are doing this._ He sneered

_But..._

_No buts! This is the perfect opportunity._

She still hesitated,  _Will you be alright?_ The words were only a slightly worried whisper in his mind.

 _Who do you think I am?_ His voice was dark and annoyed.

She didn't answer, but he felt her changing directions, heading for the center of the valley.

Moving towards the valley, Kylo kept an eye on the battle in the air and sharpened his senses to not get captured off guard by Kafia or Azrakil.

If he was able to move, so were they and he had no hope that they would abandon the fight midway through.

-

Poe Dameron made a loop in the air stirring his X-wing fighter in position, placing a direct hit on the TIE-fighter pursuing him. Yelling out in victory, as the fighter crashed to the ground, he caught a glance of a single black fighter in the distance.

Immediately the blood boiled in his wains, as he recognized the personal fighter of Kylo Ren.

Without a second thought, he broke out of the fight, aiming to settle the score once and for all.


	14. Chapter 14

The valley seemed deserted.

The command shuttle had taken position over the recently emerged fight between the Resistance fighters and the TIE-fighters.

Rey had no idea why the Resistance was on the planet, maybe there was some sort of secret First Order base somewhere, but seeing the X-wing fighters made hope grow inside her. The TIE-fighters was occupied by the fight and none of the stormtroopers still posted in the valley batted an eye at the Silencer, thinking that it was one of their own.

As Rey approached the box, containing the lightsabers, she saw the beasts in their partly hidden cages. Two of the beasts with sharp claws and big mouths, a Rancor and an Acklay. The last two she had only heard of in stories, told by a junk dealer on Jakku. Back then she had laughed at his wild imagination, now she was weary aware that he had told the truth. They would be free the minute she landed.

A chill ran down her spine and made her make a sudden turn, only just evading a line of fire from behind.

Turning her head to get eyes on her attacker, ice spread in her stomach. It was Black One II. Poe's new fighter.

She remembered him boast about it right after the delivery to the new Resistance base. The X-wing fighter was nearly identical to the one he lost at the attack on the Resistance fleet but upgraded to fly faster and be almost entirely silent.

Poe fired again, forcing her to spin out of the way.

Rey's heart beat loudly in her chest. She couldn't shoot at Poe, and there was no way she could tell him that it was her, not Kylo, in the cockpit. Evading his shots, she dived in-between the mountains, trying to shake him off.

For a second, he was out of sight.

Rey just got to feel relieved, when he suddenly showed up in front of her.

She saw his face, distorted by wild triumph.

Due to the red color of the Silencer cockpit, he couldn't see her and she only escaped most of his shots. Hit on the wing, Rey raced back to the valley. Trying to get as close to the lightsabers as possible before crashing. With the box in clear sight, she started slowing down the fighter, keeping it as close as possible to the ground, trying to slide rather than fall. Hoping not to die in the crash.

Impact with the ground shook the entire fighter brutally, making it glide sight ways until it barged into a big collection of trees and was stopped.

Shaken and a bit nauseous, but otherwise okay, Rey made her way to the exit ramp, knowing that Poe wouldn't be far behind.

Outside she was met by thick black smoke emitting from the hit. She saw the fighter as a faint X high up in the sky above the mountain, now diving closer to finish the job. Rey sprinted towards the box, still wearing the stormtrooper armor from the neck down, she would just look like any other stormtrooper to him.

Minutes later she heard the explosion behind her and the hollow sound of repeating shots hitting the ground. Her heartbeat rushed through her ears. Jumping to the side and zigzagging the deadly attacks waving against her.

Finally, she reached the box. Her fingers cramped together to lift the heavy stone lid. Feeling it pull violently at her power.

She cast herself aside as Poe started firing again, the rekyl of the shots threw the stone box on its side, making the lid fall.

Rey called her lightsaber which immediately responded. The feeling of it in her hand was like being reunited with an old friend. Getting on her feet and igniting it, she waved it over her head, signaling to Poe that it was her.

By the sudden jump of the fighter, she figured that he had recognized her. Out of breath, she couched together, getting a hold of herself and trying to calm her mind.

There was no doubt, that the Stormtroopers had seen everything.   


	15. Chapter 15

As Kylo approached the valley he felt the pull of the Amaniastone.

He could not go in there. If he did, he would be an easy kill. Even a stormtrooper would have a very good chance. Being forced to wait infuriated him, but there was no way around it. The sound of an explosion mingled with the noise of the fight between the First Order and the Resistance.

Kylo found himself a place near the main entrance, with minimal effect from the stone and a good view of the surroundings, and then he waited.

For Rey.

For Kafia and Azrakil.

Whoever came first.

-

Rey had finally cleared her head. Some deep breathing and summoning of the Force within her made wonders for her tired body. Poe was circling above her, obviously horrified by his actions and unsure what to do.

She picked up Kylo's lightsaber. He would never forgive her if she left it behind. Around her, the stormtroopers were closing in on her. Someone was shouting something at them through their communicators, they hurried to the cages and let out the beasts.

The Acklay approached her as the first one. Running incredibly fast on its long spider-like legs.

With her heart pounding like crazy Rey lifted her lightsaber, comforted by the security of her weapon.

Rey blinked and nearly missed it.

As the Acklay was almost upon her, Poe had fired at the creature, protecting her from its claws. With a quick glance at the fighter, she could almost hear him say: "Run, I will cover you."

Rey ran, full speed against the main entrance to the valley. She could feel Kylo on the other side, waiting for her, but he was not alone. Behind her, Poe was keeping the Rancor and the Acklay busy, but he couldn't prevent the agile big-mouthed beasts from hunting her.

Knowing that she would be sliced in half from behind if they cough up to her, she switched on her lightsaber and turned to face them. The memory of last time she had faced the beasts twirled in her head, making her pulse race. Rey closed her eyes, stabilizing her breath. Last time she was unprepared, unarmed and unaware of their hollow bones.

This time she was in control, she had the Force and her lightsaber. The beasts didn't stand a chance. Opening her eyes, she attacked, giving them little room to counter, and ultimately they just ran away.

As one enemy disappeared, another came forward. All around her the stormtroopers appeared, shooting their blasters at her. On each side a stormtrooper held a big flame cannon, forcing her to either retreat or charge forward.

Rey was not going to retreat.

Reflecting the blaster shots with her lightsaber, pouching, kicking and slicing every stormtrooper standing in her way, she moved forward.

Behind her Poe was still bombarding the beasts with his laser cannons, having the obvious advantage of being in the air.

-

Kylo blocked Azrakil as he swung the red vibrosword. He was covered in blood and dust, looking even more insane than before. Another hit and the Z6 baton creaked. Azrakil smiled, his teeth still red with blood.

Kylo could feel Rey, she was coming. He just had to hold on a little longer.

Kafia attacked from the other side, bombarding Kylo with her grenades, which she seemingly never ran out of, making it hard to hold the block on Azrakil. One more hit and the Vitro-baton was useless. Kylo threw it to the ground, concentrating on the Force to keep them at bay. Kylo reached for some one-meter rocks and threw them at Kafia to get some distance between them.

Azrakil evaded a Force pouch and swung the vibrosword at kylo, only to meet the red blade of his lightsaber.

Behind Azrakil, Rey was panting, sharing a single look with Kylo and igniting her own lightsaber.

Azrakils face was twisted in disbelief, as he broke their weapons out of the lock, and turned to disgust at the sight of Rey's blue blade. "The little Jedi-wrench." He raged, charging at her with his weapon held high.

Rey only just blocked him and quickly moved to Kylo's side. Standing back to back, with both their lightsabers in hand, they had changed the tide of the fight.

Efficiently blocking and attacking in one fluid motion.

 _I told you not to come._ The blame in Kylo's voice was nonexistent.

 _And I said no._  Rey countered.

_Stubborn girl._

_Unreasonable, reckless brute!_

Rey cried out.

Azrakil had landed a hit on her hip and immediately received an elbow in the face from Kylo.

Kafia swung her boe-staff at Rey, who blocked it with the Force, swinging the lightsaber at Kafia and slicing the staff in two.

Kylo swung his lightsaber mercilessly at Azrakil, cutting him here and there, making him feel the pain and realize that he had lost. The rage inside Azrakil didn't subdue, he repeatedly tried to fend and attack anew, lost to the world and unwilling to accept that he was already dead.

Kylo ended it by cutting off his head in one swift movement.

Rey was still fighting Kafia, unwilling to make the kill.

Watching then Kylo took a deep breath, emerging at Kafia.

The terror and anger in the woman's eyes as he approached. He knew that look all too well.

Rey noticed him. A low swinging kick knocked Kafia off her feet and another swiftly moved the broken pieces of the boe-staff our of reach.  _Kylo, let her be._

 _You got to be kidding me._  He sneered.

Rey moved and stood in-between them.  _She is down, she can't hurt us._

_She can, and she will!_

As if Kafia listened in on their silent conversation, she threw a handful of her bombs at Rey's back.

Kylo noticed just in time to block, but the explosions were strong and threw both of them several meters, allowing Kafia to escape.

"Ouch," Kylo said, lying on his back on the ground with Rey on top of him.

"I'm sorry." Rey's voice sounded exhausted, "you lock awful."

He really did. Wounds, blood, dust, and sweat all over.

Kylo snickered, "you should look at yourself."

The once white stormtrooper uniform was now brown, black and yellow with dirt and soot. She had more than one scrap on her face and her hair smelled a little burned, was sweaty and in total disorder.

Kylo placed a hand on her chin, looked at every scratch as if inspecting her. Then he kissed her, greedily, as if he had been starving. Rey kissed him back, relieved that they were both alive.

"Kylo," she said when he let go of her lips, "I crashed your Fighter... and my friend blew it up."

She felt him tense up beneath her and a sound, almost like laughter, shook his chest. "Well, then you owe me a fighter."

Rey smiled.

Looking to the fight of the First Order and the Resistance, Rey saw the command shuttle of the First Order leave. A clear sign of victory to the Resistance.

"We have won." She said, lifting herself off him.

"Rey." Kylo began, taking a hold of her wrist, "you know that I can't join the resistance, right?"

Rey took a deep breath. "Yes."

"Will you go back?" His question was begging her not to.

"I don't know," Rey answered, truthfully. She didn't want to leave him, but the Resistance was her friends, the closest thing to a family she had ever had.

She hated, that she had to choose one or the other.

At that moment she saw Black One II on the horizon, headed straight at them. 


	16. Chapter 16

Poe jumped out of the cockpit of his fighter. "Rey! Are you okay?"

He stopped. Staring. First at her, then at Kylo. They were both at their feet, standing side by side showing no sign of wanting to kill each other.

BB-8 rolled straight up to Rey, enthusiastically telling her of all the adventures it had been on while she was away.

"BB-8 get back," Poe demanded, reaching for his gun. "What is going on?"

"It's all right," Rey said, taking a step towards Poe.

"No, it's not." Poe objected, "that is Kylo Ren!"

"I know." Rey's voice was low as if talking to a spooked animal.

 _Don't you dear speak!_  She warned Kylo, he lifted an eyebrow but didn't object.

"I..." Rey sank and started over again. "He won't hurt us."

Poe studied her face with a frown, clearly thinking that Kylo had brainwashed her in some way.

"Poe, listen to me. The First Order turned against him and..."

"I don't want to hear it!" Poe cut her off, "he is a monster, Rey!"

"I know," Rey replied and felt a big heavy stone where her heart used to be. "Poe, please stop." She pleaded as Poe aimed his gun at Kylo.

 _We need to leave Rey,_ Kylo said trough the bond,  _he will never understand._

Rey's eyes felt with tears, as she stepped in front of Kylo, blocking the gun in Poe's hand.

"Damn it, Rey!" Poe shouted. "Move!"

"No. I won't let you hurt him."

 _As if he could..._ Kylos voice snorted in her head.

Rey ignored him, fully aware that Poe wouldn't last long in a fight against Kylo, not even with a gun in his hand. Without him knowing it, Poe was the one she was protecting by standing in between them.

_Kylo, take his fighter._

She felt Kylo look down at the back of her head.  _What about you?_

Rey concentrated to keep her calm.  _I will keep him here._

 _Can't we just knock him out?_ He asked.

_He is my friend._

_He is pointing a gun at you._ Kylo pointed out.

A stubborn draw formed at Rey's lower lip.  _But he is still a friend. T_ _here is only room for one in that fighter anyway._

Kylo was silent for some time. Rey knew that he was itching to just hit Poe in the head and get it over with.  _Kylo, just go. I will find you._

Poe starred, as Kylo put a hand on her shoulder and kissed her hair. Rey could have punched him for doing it in front of Poe, but had to concentrate on the gun in Poe's hands instead.

"What do you think you are doing?" Poe's voice was vibrating with anger.

Kylo didn't answer. He just went around Rey heading for the fighter.

Poe tried to follow him with the gun, but it was held firmly in place pointing at Rey. "Rey? What are you doing?" Poe fought against her grip on the gun, as Kylo started the motors. "Rey!"

BB-8 started beeping angrily at the man stealing Poe's fighter, but Rey had a grip on it as well. The fighter hoovered over the ground and disappeared in the horizon.

Letting go of BB-8 and the gun, Rey fell to her knees with exhaustion.

"Why?" Poe asked. "Finn and Chewie are out there searching the galaxy for you, and you were with  _him_?"

Rey looked up at Poe, she didn't need to answer, the teary look in her eyes tooled him everything he needed to know.

"Rey, no! You can't mean it! Finn he..."

"Is my best friend." Rey ended his sentence without hesitation.

"Kylo Ren is not going to change," Poe declared, "he is a murderer and a monster."

"I know."

"Are you...?" Poe let the question linger in the air, afraid to voice it.

"Am I what?" If he was going to accuse her, he would have to say it straight out.

Poe took a deep breath. "Have you turned?" He finally asked, "to the Dark Side."

The question irritated her more than anything else that had happened since she woke up on that cursed prison floor in a cell next to Kylo. "Who the hell is to say what is dark or light?" She snapped.

"So... have you?" Poe seemed a bit confused.

"No!" Rey bit, "but I am not pure light either."

Now Poe was totally confused.

"Forget it," Rey said, suddenly feeling the wound on her hip and her maltreated body. Getting on her feet, she started to limp towards the valley, where the Resistance was rounding up the remaining stormtroopers.

"Where are you going?" Poe asked.

"Finding myself a ship."

"No, Rey." Poe pleaded, "you can't go to him. The Resistance needs you."

"The only reason they need me is to defeat Kylo Ren and he won't return to the First Order."

"He is going to kill you." Poe tried, desperately.

"I would like to see him try." Her own words seemed strangely distant.

"You are hurt!"

Poe was right, her body was closing down on her. Now that she was done fighting the energy slipped through her fingers like sand. Her knees gave way and she landed on the rocky ground.

-

Rey later heard that the Resistance had shot down the Star Destroyer. Which apparently had just been in combat, as all the outer cannons were shot to pieces and it had remarkably few TIE-fighters to fend off the Resistance bombers. 


	17. Epilog

When Rey woke up, she was lying on a soft bed, with warm blankets around her.

She recognized the room as the temporary Medic at the new Resistance base. The stormtrooper uniform was gone. Instead, she was wearing a white standard sleeping gown. Her wounds were all dressed in bandages and it didn't hurt anymore.

General Organa sat in a chair next to her, nodding off as it was apparently late at night. Rey quietly pouched herself a little hirer on the tilted madras. Trying, but failing, not to wake the General. 

General Organa smiled at Rey. "Welcome back" 

Rey tried to smile, all that had happened played in her head, how was she going to tell the General about it? She took a breath, ready to spill the beans, but the General stopped her with a hand.

"No need to explain." She assured her. "I only want to know one thing; Do you love my son?"

The question was like a kick in the gut. 

Love?

She had never really thought about it as love. Her feelings were strong and their bond as good as unbreakable, but love?

General Organa felt her panic and smiled widely, "it might have been too soon to ask that?"

Rey nodded.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure that you really care for him"

Rey didn't know what to say, it didn't seem like the General was judging or mistrusting her like Poe had done.

"Rey, do you want to stay with the Resistance?"

"I don't know," Rey said, feeling the conflict in her.

"If you do, you will have to deal with a lot of changes. Even though Poe didn't announce it publicly, the word of your relationship with my son has already speed."

It was a hard one to swallow. Not one of them was ever going to trust her again. And Fin... what did he think when he heard?

"But being with my son is going to be much harder." The General continued. "Constantly on the run, fighting everyone and each other, again and again."

Rey closed her eyes. She knew. Yet she could clearly feel what she wanted to do, it was only the voice of reason that held her back. "Where could we go?" She asked the General, with tears threatening to run down her cheeks.

The older woman seemed to space out for a moment, was she thinking of what to say or debating whether to say anything at all?

"Have you heard of The Gray Jedi?" she finally asked.

Rey shook her head.

"They were powerful force users, walking the space between darkness and light. Never fully a Jedi, never fully a Sith, but a little of both in perfect balance."

Rey frowned "I didn't think that was possible"

"No." The General snickered, "both sides have always made it weary clear that you would have to be one or the other to use the Force. But maybe its time for some new thinking." Then she stood and walked to the door. "Whatever you choose, I stand behind you. May the Force be with you"

As the door closed behind the General, Rey saw her boe-staff standing against the wall behind it. Under it was a stuffed backpack and on the table next to it lay a pile of fresh clothes, with her lightsaber on top.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my story! 
> 
> All comments, critique and thoughts are welcome. Let me hear what you think !
> 
> It will continue in Novel nr. 2 "The Color In Between" so stay tuned!


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